Chapter 269 – Safety

*** Elora ***

"Stop running, bitch!" I yell. She isn't even attacking me that much, just running in circles on her horse, defending against my bow shots. I've never been that strong with a bow, but it's the only thing I can use right now.

I've practiced with spears more, but I've never liked ranged combat as much. It can't build off my strength as well as swinging metal around in my hand or holding the line with a shield. But I wish I did now.

I can't keep running after her or infuse my attacks with mana, or I'll just tire myself out.

Yet another arrow strikes against an ice wall, and Eirina runs away. Her horse has gone up into a full sprint back to her camp, and her army is now in a full retreat.

I have to keep my promise to my wives, so I move towards my own camp, my own horse coming to greet me. Before I even get the chance to spur it on, it darts off toward my camp, and I see most of my wives racing back as well.

Unfortunately, the enemy's retreat is well managed and not the panic I was hoping for, so we just hold our line.

All our maids are huddled near the front, watching their Lady. Someone is tied up in the middle of them.

"Who is this?" I ask when I reach them. My wives soon bring their horses to a stop around me.

"A spy. Hiding as Sedriresa. They took Alzi from the medical tent," my Maid says. "I'm sorry for failing to spot the spy..."

I know she said more, but I just turned and charged.

One of my wives is letting out a lot of mana behind me, clearly with the same idea I have. But I need to move faster than this horse.

I launch myself over it and let loose with all my movement Skills. I leap, bound, and do everything else I can do to get past my army and into the enemy's retreating formations.

I use a Skill I've been hiding ever since I got my tattoo. It's from my second class, a gift from Power and Alzi, but I don't know how much mana I can put into it, which is the real reason I've kept it hidden. My fire mana just isn't presenting itself like Alzi managed with her magma when she saved me.

I whip my sword around and hope I can make it manifest. The Skill is called dragon strike, but it looks more like a snake using all of the fire mana I have available. But it comes out white hot with a faint shimmer of what my Mother showed with her mana so long ago.

The dragon rushes through their ranks, setting any women in its way ablaze. Their screams almost create a panic in the ranks, but they hold out until I slam into them. I swap out my shield for my great sword and start cutting a path through.

Most are commoners who don't stand a chance, but a few mana attacks bounce off my armor.

All I see before me is red. The world should burn until I get my wife back. But even after that, it should burn. It should burn until all those who wish her harm are dead or her slave, until none dare think of hurting her, or my Queendom, ever again.

"ELORA!" Geta shouts. "GET THE FUCK DOWN!"

Golden light fills my vision, only for a rainbow to take its place. They just flash for a second; for a moment, the red vanishes, and it refuses to come back. Instead, the gold of Geta's armor takes its place.

"Fucking dumbasses," Geta curses. "Are you ok?"

"No," I cry. "No, I'm not ok. Why? Why can't they follow a single fucking rule? Alzi just wanted to keep women alive. She was healing, and they took her. And I'm not there this time to help her or protect her or anything. I fucking let my wife get kidnapped again. I'm not ok! Let me take their heads. Let me chain them up and serve them to my wife!"

"The problem with that is Shimmer just killed most of them," Geta says. "I only say most because the women who took Alzi are likely in the city already."

"What do you mean?"

"Cover your nose, Princess," Geta says, standing up. I guess she tackled me before whatever Shimmer did struck.

"Shimmer did this?" I ask.

"She summoned whatever did this. Some bird that was trying to look like an oversized hawk sprayed out fire over the army and camp. I doubt a single being is still alive besides you and me here."

Eirina may have some enchantment that protected her. But I agree that no other soul would survive this. The women are just charred blocks, and the scent of burnt flesh stings my nose. Not even using mana can wipe away the stench of roasted humans.

Everything finally gets to me, and I fall over and lose everything that was in my stomach. I almost want to stick my nose in my own bile just to wash away the smell.

Geta just watches me. Her face is blank as she studies my actions.

Actions.

I need to get to Alzi. It takes all my strength to stand up, my vision spinning, but I march. Any direction will do for now.

"Dear, let me," Geta says, picking me up. "You're going the wrong way."

"Alzi. I need to get Alzi back," I say. "The war is over now. Alzi is next."

"You're almost completely out of it, and Shimmer has fainted already. I'll send most of the army to help your sister and Mother. The city will fall when they see just a battalion without their own forces following it. Now, sleep. This can't be good for your child."

*** Sarania ***

A devil. That is the best I can find. She must be weak to not be in one of the armies, but it is the best I can do. I didn't think I would need to run away with my Mistress so soon.

I do have a strong collection of illusion runes from my many years of needing to hide. And they don't need to be crushed to use them.

The old days were better for creating magic items, back when the Goddesses weren't as stingy with their affinities. Of course, they all owned more of them until Fertility started to produce goddesses. Then, War wanted a playground to fight in.

If they could just let the lower realms be...

Coming up on the devil's house, I find a simple building. A lower merchant's house, but it'll have enough space for us until Elora can make it here. The war should end quickly with a healer being abducted.

"I would like a word with the Lady of the House," I shout.

"Go away; we have no food or medicine," a woman says through the door.

"I do not ask for food or medicine. I ask to speak to the Lady of the House," I say. "I know she is here and close by. She knows what is really here."

"What do you want, demon?" the devil says.

"Open the door."

"Answer me first."

"A place to stay. Now, open the door."

"I have no room for you, demon."

"Open the door before I prove your stupidity," I say. "I don't have time to deal with this. You should know better than to go against me."

She pauses, but her instincts win out, and she opens the door. "Who are you?"

"Perverter of Spirits," I say. "But you should know that already. Step aside and have a maid to show me to a room. My Mistress needs to rest."

"Why are you here?" the devil asks. "Are you bringing trouble my way? There's a reason your sister was put away."

"She just wanted a child. Nobody died. And trouble won't come your way. Now, don't make me call our Mother."

"She is no mother of mine."

"I dare you to say that to her face," I say. "One last chance."

"Khe, give them a room," the devil says. "You'll have to get your own food."

"I only asked for a room. Stop assuming that I want more," I say. "My food is in my arms, and I have food for her already."

Khe gives us a room on the second floor. It only has a bed, but it'll do, as I don't plan to stay long. My Mistress seems to have a lot of dealings with the Goddesses. Two divine ones in her womb, and her womb tattoo has had yet another Goddess playing with it. There's a mark from the Goddess of Power over her collarbone, a new Goddess's mark over her sternum, and I believe the mark on her back is from the Goddess of Space. She may be able to leave with just a prayer if that is truly Space's mark, but it may require more to take me along with her, and my Mistress would be the one to pay that toll. But only if we are desperate.

I gently place her down on the bed and strip her. I don't have many Skills that deal with children or pregnancy, as I never believed I would meet someone who could get me pregnant. But I can try. I doubt divine children could be hurt while inside the Champion of Fertility, but there is another child who may be injured.

My mana doesn't accomplish much, the divine siblings keeping me from reaching her. But they wouldn't let harm come to their sister, so I will accept it. The strange thing is the marking over her sternum.

Two hands shaking. Is it meant to show friendship or a deal? Power's tattoo bears no resemblance to her affinity, so the symbol may not hold any meaning. But I should be able to know which Goddess it comes from, and yet I don't.

But fine. It seems Fertility has healed my Mistress, so I'll let her sleep as a free woman for the first time in a decade in peace.

*** Goddess of Justice ***

"Fertility! You fucking dare to have a kid that intrudes on my domain?!" I yell to my angels. "I am the power of the lower realms. They work off Justice. How will you enforce a contract without the promise of justice if they are broken? How will the world FUCKING SPIN without me? I correct the wrongs. I give them the stability they need. How can you dare to siphon power from me to a damn baby now of all times? The world needs my Justice."

"My Goddess," a seraph says. "Your champion has worked out the deal with the Dragon Queen."

"Good. Good, I have a need for a fighting force in the lower realms," I say. "When can they fight?"

"Our enemies are already prepared for a war, and it just ended," the seraph says. "A partial force won't work, so it will take a few months to build it into a force that can attack."

"NATURE! What of your army?" I shout. She'll hear me. She'll know what I need.

"A Kitsune pair has been causing problems for my forward forces, but I should be ready a bit before the dragons. I'll pull them around before the dragons attack."

"Perfect. We need to remind Fertility why she was absent for all these years."